Séjour in France ~ Section I

By Joey

Section I, Next Section

Posted on Saturday, 20 July 2002

Author's note: This is my first story, ever. So I hope it is worth the read. I have taken quite a few liberties with their personalities. Expect a more outgoing Darcy and a more reserved Lizzy. Also expect Jane to really be the older sister. Reasons will unfold in coming chapters. And expect romance! Oh, l'amour! Special thanks to Deirdre and Steph and Em, or this would never have been posted.

Chapter 1

Elizabeth descended the stairs from the surface street to the beach and breathed a sigh of relief. The beach was finally deserted. It was the 1st of October, early on a Thursday evening, and true to the seasonal calendar in France all of the vacationers had gone, and her glorious beach was blissfully quiet and peaceful.

She walked from the stairs, over the wide, white boardwalk, and jumped onto the sandy beach, kicking her shoes off carelessly. No one, she confirmed. She looked up and down the great boardwalk; no one on the benches, no one walking on it, no one lying or playing on the sand or in the surf. She looked further up the beach; no one on the balconies at the Grand Hotel. She turned her head the opposite direction; no one by the casino.

She moved closer to the waves breaking on the sand, and let her feet sink in the sand as the water rushed out beneath them. This was her favorite time of day, and she had missed being able to come to this beach to be alone with her thoughts and fancies. For part of August and all of September, she had had to rely on peaceful time at the rocks just south of the beach. It was the only place, it seemed, that tourists didn't go. The rocks were steep, not too steep to climb, but not designed for easy rambling. The sunsets were beautiful from that vantage point, but Elizabeth needed the feeling of the water rushing over her feet and the waves hitting her legs. She closed her eyes and felt the warm sun on her face, and she smiled a glorious, full, unstoppable smile and walked a little further into the surf. Elizabeth was conscious that she only had about a half an hour before she needed to be back to her apartment and get ready to go out for the evening, but she turned her thoughts away from that obligation.

She stood in shallow water, marveling at how the water turned golden in the path from the setting sun. The water almost appeared thicker, as though she could pick it up with her hand and feel it coat her skin with its golden silkiness. She laughed out loud thinking of being enveloped in a golden bath. She kicked her legs around in the water like a little girl and ran even further into the surf. Soon she was entirely soaked, having splashed and jumped waves to her hearts content. She felt her shorts and tee-shirt clinging to her body and shivered slightly. She stole a look around the beach and boardwalk. Satisfied that she was still alone, she put her shoes back on and started at a run over the boardwalk and up the stairs away from the beach, sprinting the block to her apartment.

Had she looked at the only  restaurant on the boardwalk, which had been behind her, Elizabeth would have noticed a man looking out from the its windows at her playfulness, and staring quite unabashedly at her pleasing figure. He thought her somewhat wild looking at first glance, but as she continued to play and dance in the water, he noticed her beautiful dark curls framing her face. He was captivated by her image and spirit and wondered if he would ever see her again. When she disappeared up the stairs, his trance was broken. He looked at his watch and swore; he was supposed to have met Charles fifteen minutes ago at the house.

Chapter 2

Jane was in the bath tub when Elizabeth arrived at the apartment.

Closing the door, she hollered to her sister "Jane, are you going to be much longer? I got a little carried away this afternoon at the beach and .." she trailed off laughing.

Jane interrupted her, "I would imagine you are dripping wet then? Elizabeth, I knew you were excited for the Vacances to be over..." Jane's last words were muffled as she dried her hair in a towel and wrapped it around her head. She then wrapped a towel around herself and opened the bathroom door. At first site of Elizabeth in their little entry-way, she laughed.

Trying to summon a stern look, Jane asked, "Elizabeth, you didn't really run all the way from the beach like that?" Elizabeth looked at her sheepishly and nodded "Mmm hmm."

"Didn't it occur to you before you jumped into the water that you were wearing cream shorts and a WHITE tee-shirt?"

At this comment Elizabeth turned bright red and sat down on the floor laughing. "I didn't, but when I realized it, I sprinted all the way home. I was so afraid that I would run into someone!"

"Well, you are going to make us late, so hurry and hop in the shower! It is almost 9 o'clock." With that Elizabeth went into the bathroom and started the shower, peeling off her wet clothes.

"Jane, what are you going to wear?" Lizzy shouted from the shower.

"I don't know yet. I don't really want to encourage any of the men who we know will be at Agnes' little party, but you never know who might turn up at the discotheque later. It's a tough call, to encourage or not encourage, that is the question."

When Elizabeth finished her shower, she came into the main room in her robe with a towel wrapped around her hair. The "main room" had turned into their bedroom. They had wanted to economize for the year they would be in France, so they had rented (before they arrived) a one bedroom apartment, where they had planned on sharing the bedroom. When they first saw their apartment, they despaired seeing as the little alcove off of the main room would have difficulty holding much more than one bed, so they decided to put their wardrobes in the bedroom and two twin beds in the living room. The first night this arrangement, they had stayed up late, roasting marshmallows over a gas burner on their stove, pretending they were at camp.

The main room had a bed on each long wall, pushed up against the far wall that was mostly glass from the sliding door to their balcony. They loved their balcony space, which, ironically was the same size as their dressing room. On hotter nights, they pulled their mattresses off of their beds onto the balcony and slept outside since their apartment had no air conditioning. On the near wall was a small table and two chairs that they picked up at a second hand store. The kitchen was like a very small closet. You could not have both the refrigerator door and the oven door open at the same time. And they also realized that only one person could be physically in the small space at a time. But in the 6 weeks, they had learned to make do quite cheerfully.

 Elizabeth saw Jane lying on her bed, still in her towel, and threw a pillow at her "Oh, no, I am so sorry I will make us late," she said teasingly. Jane sprang up and protested that she was only lying there trying to decide what to wear, but Elizabeth interrupted her with a long laugh. In a formal, mock British accent, she said "Shall we to the dressing room, dahhhhling?" Jane giggled and took her arm ceremoniously.

Both stared at their wardrobes for several minutes, then switched positions to stare at her sister's wardrobe. After a few minutes they each stood in front of their own wardrobe again and sighed. At length, Elizabeth said, "You know Jane, it's a good thing that we are sisters and that I love you otherwise, I might always hate you for being 15 pounds lighter than me, no matter how many miles I run. I loved father very much, but I would much rather have inherited mother's figure as you have. It tends to limit what things I can borrow."

Jane poked a finger at Elizabeth, "Fifteen pounds of curves and chest. Yes, I should pity you for never having had to be fit with a miracle bra!" The girls started into a fit of giggles, giving up on dressing for the moment and decided to do their hair. An hour later they were both dressed and ready to go out. Elizabeth had selected a pair of flattering black jeans and a light, three quarter sleeved black sweater. She had left her long curly hair down. She liked how wild it looked when she went dancing. Jane looked stunning in a modest black skirt and red long sleeved thin shirt. Her hair was platinum blonde, stick straight and gorgeous. She never had to do much to herself to be attractive.

As they took one last look in their sliding glass door, which they had discovered doubled admirably as a full-length mirror. Elizabeth said "Well, that settles it, evidently we are going to Encourage. Come on, let's get down to Agnes' party. But let's not stay too long. I'm afraid Francois will be there, and I don't really want to spend an evening fighting off his hands," scrunching up her nose, like she had just smelled something unpleasant."

"Not just Francois but his friends too. Agnes is just trying to be nice and make us feel welcome."

"I know. And she is a dear, by herself. OK. But we're in and out of there. Do you want to walk or take the scooter?"

"Let's walk Lizzy, it is such a pleasant evening out, and we should enjoy it while it lasts. Besides, you know that  I do not enjoy riding on the back of that thing." Elizabeth laughed and squeezed Jane's arm as they walked down the stairwell to the street.

They had decided to buy a scooter shortly after they arrived in Biarritz when they realized that the nearest grocery store was in the next town. The bus system there was excellent, but they couldn't always count on them. "If we didn't have the scooter, we would have to take the bus to Anglet to do our grocery shopping. What a pain."

"I know Lizzy, but it still unnerves me, especially at night. You go too fast!"

Elizabeth let out a peel of laughter, "Everybody goes too quickly in France, I just try no to get run over! But we can walk if you like. Agnes' isn't that far away."

In a short time, they reached Agnes' but discovered that the party had moved to another house higher up in the Biarritz hills. They left a note for Agnes and went on to the discotheque, a little relieved.

"Turn left down this street Lizzy. I thought we would try to the club closer to the beach tonight. Agnes says that the men were much less grabby at Lumos, and her name can get us in. All of their money must encourage a reserved behaviour. Maybe we can get some opinions about the location of our dream store?"

"Well hobnobbing with the very rich should be an interesting experience, Jane. I wonder if we will see anyone famous?"

"I doubt that, but Lumos is second only to the club at the casino." Jane stopped and looked up, "This is the building, Lizzy. Well here we go. Let's just have fun." Both girls tried to calm their jitters as they climbed the four flights of stairs to the club.

Chapter 3

The club was located in a restored turn of the century building one block back from the boardwalk. The main dance floor and bar had large windows looking out over the other buildings, the ocean behind them. Jane and Elizabeth were a little surprised there was not a line to get in, only two well-dressed men at the door that asked their names. Jane offered the name Agnes Gireaud, and they were ushered in.

The lighting was very low but elegantly arranged. There was a long polished bar along the back wall of the large room. Jane was amazed at the beauty of the enormous windows and the grand view of the night ocean. The lighthouse on the northern hill lit up waves as they came surging into the rocks Elizabeth was so fond of scampering upon during the day.

Elizabeth also was surprised by the low-key, elegant environment, and imagined that she could close her eyes and see it containing grand balls in days gone by. She was surprised not to feel the steady, rapid beat of rave music wash over her that the French people seemed to be so fond of. Instead she heard a soft jazz, appropriate for not-so-intimate slow dancing and good conversation. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed the jazz band and discovered many tables lined against the walls. Upon this realization, Lizzy groaned inside and looked at Jane with some impatience.

"Jane, ugh. If we dance at this kind of place, we have to talk to them," Elizabeth complained, making a face.

"Elizabeth, I could think of worse things." Jane said in a somewhat halting voice. Elizabeth wondered at her sister's statement and followed her sister's gaze to the bar. There she could see a strikingly handsome man leaning on it. He was laughing and his laugh seemed to reach all the way to his eyes. Elizabeth thought that his features were not dissimilar to Jane's. He had curly blonde hair and near as she can tell he had clear blue eyes.

"Jane." No response. The corner's of Elizabeth's mouth started twitching as she realized that Jane was in a different world. At that moment, the laughing man at the bar saw Jane. As he saw her stare he smiled and raised his glass to her. Jane came out of her trance and blushed three shades of red, looking away. She made her way to the overlook of the ocean. Elizabeth moved to follow her sister until she saw the laughing man following Jane across the room. "Well," she thought "Jane will at least have someone to talk to. Hopefully he is as pleasant to talk to as he is to look at, or she could be in for a long night." As she had these thoughts, this a smile grew on her face. Jane was the classic gorgeous blonde and she was always attracted to men with her same light features. Not for me, Elizabeth thought, I like them tall, dark and handsome.

She was quite unaware that her admirer from the beach restaurant had just entered the club. Noticing his blonde friend and his friend's pursuit, he was about to turn around and leave, until he saw Elizabeth. He decided to stay a while, thinking it was too good to be true. He watched her for a long time from different vantage points around the room.

Several men asked Elizabeth to dance and her silent admirer was pleased to note how graceful she was as she danced. He could occasionally hear her laugh. It was sweet, unaffected. He seized an opportunity when Elizabeth found herself without a partner and began to walk toward the bar for a drink.

He crossed the room to Elizabeth and said to her back "Do you often play in the water at dusk?"

Elizabeth started in surprise and turned around to see... a devastatingly handsome man. Slightly taller than average and well-built from what she could tell by the way his black sweater hugged his muscular frame, the man had dark wavy hair and intensely deep brown eyes. She had turned around to feign ignorance of his remark about her romp in the water from earlier, but as soon as she saw him, she found she could not speak. The man looked somewhat amused by her surprise. He was used to women being impressed by him, but they usually recovered quickly and used whatever arts they could to remind him that he should be pursuing them, and not the other way around.

Elizabeth slowly started coming back to Earth. She looked away, blushed becomingly, and let out a nervous giggle and said "I apologize for uh... um. well. You sort of took me off guard. I wasn't expecting you. Well, I mean I didn't know you were..." Oh, she thought, this is not going well. And turned a deeper crimson.

At this point the dark haired man put his hand lightly on the small of her back and directed her to the bar. When they got to the bar, the man ordered a drink and asked Elizabeth what she would like.

She replied "Thanks. A bottle of water, please." They both drank their refreshments in silence. Feeling a little shy and uncomfortable, she thanked him for the water and began to walk away. She glanced back to add "Have a nice time tonight," and he touched her hand lightly and invited her to dance.

They moved onto the dance floor and began to sway to the soft music. The man began "My name is William Darcy." He paused for her to offer a name, which she didn't. Elizabeth was distracted by the light pressure of his hand on hers. After a few moments, she looked up at his eyes and realized she was being rude.

She swallowed and said in a rush, "I am Elizabeth Bennett. I am here with my sister. This is our first time at Lumos. I am sorry I didn't answer you right away, but I have been somewhat distracted by this beautiful room all evening." The band started a new song, but she and William kept dancing.

"So where were you earlier tonight?" she questioned. William looked at her, puzzled at her reference. She continued, "I had thought I had made quite sure that the beach and boardwalk were deserted," she paused, blushing, "You must have thought me quite wild.

William laughed, "You didn't check the restaurant. And actually, I thought you were quite charming and ... free." Lizzy saw what she esteemed to be a thoughtful look on his face, almost as though he were still in that moment on the beach.

Lizzy responded "That wasn't just random playing you know. I was doing a sort of dance of celebration that finally the tourists are gone." She flushed then realizing that he had spoken to her in a gorgeous British accent and thought for a moment that she must have offended him.

But he laughed low "You know, I feel the same way about this place, which is why I have only just arrived here today. Though I am also a tourist, I have been coming here for years now and it almost feels like a second home. But what about you? You have an enchanting American accent. Surely, you are here for pleasure as well?"

Elizabeth's breath caught at his use of the word pleasure. She quickly recovered and responded "Actually, I have been here for a little over a month and will stay for about a year. So for now, I guess, I actually do live here." She tilted her head to side slightly with a playful smile on her lips. William's eyes lit up at the sight of her smile.

"Well what brings you here for such a long duration, Elizabeth?" She started to answer that her sister's friend Agnes had gotten them entrance to the club and then she giggled nervously "You meant here, in France?"

"Yes," William responded somewhat amused that she seemed to be uncomfortable in his presence.

"Oh well, I uh." Then she stopped looked down then quickly back up at him with a smirk on her face. "Actually, I don't think that I am going to share that with you just yet." She saw the surprise on his face and felt that maybe she had been a little too coy and wanted to explain, "I am usually hesitant to reveal anything personal to someone I've just met."

"Oh, but we haven't just met. Remember I got to know you earlier this evening."

"That doesn't count. We didn't meet. You just spied on me."

"You said you didn't want to reveal anything personal, and I am just trying to point out to you that you already have," she furrowed her brow at this, "Wouldn't you say that I witnessed a very personal moment on the beach?"

Lizzy didn't say anything. She just looked down, wondering what he had really thought.

He continued in a quiet voice so she had to lean in to hear him, "You know, I think you were probably most yourself. Very innocent and childlike, very trusting."

She looked up at him, a little taken aback by his observations, "Well, I uh. I don't usually. That is... that trust. And I um, not really."

He could see she was distressed and held her a little more firmly as they danced, "Elizabeth, don't be shy or worried. I'm a nice guy, and I intend on you getting to know that first hand."

Elizabeth didn't know what to think. She liked him, what she knew so far, but it had been so long since... "Elizabeth, where are you?" William asked seeing her far away look.

She relaxed a little and looked up at him wanting to change the subject, "You dance very well."

"It's easy to dance well with such a good partner."

Their eyes locked for a moment and Lizzy forgot to feel worried. The song ended and a woman took the stage and began to sing a more soulful, slow song. She and William drew closer together. Elizabeth was aware of her proximity to William and enjoyed the feel of his strong shoulders and arms. His body was well-toned. For Darcy's part, he was enjoying her softness and sweet citrusy scent. Both were content to be silent for the moment. The song finished and the dancers all clapped. He asked her if they could dance another, but she asked for the time first and he responded that it was just after midnight.

"Oh , I can't," she said with disappointment in her voice. "I have to find my sister right away. We really need to go. But thank you for the lovely dances William. I hope I see you again somewhere." She started to walk away in search of Jane.

He called out to her, "Can I call you?"

She turned back giving him a coy smile, "I hardly think so," she paused enjoying his evident disappointment, "since you don't have my phone number and since I make it a rule not to give it to men I meet at clubs."

"Then let's set up a date now?"

"I really have to go," but instead of turning to leave, she put a hand on his arm and leaned to whisper in his ear, "You have already been to my favorite place. Since you are vacationing here, I would imagine you will spend a lot of time there. So I'm sure we'll run into each other."

William looked a little puzzled, then smiled realizing she was talking about the beach. She smiled back and walked away, leaving William thinking to himself that he had been bewitched this evening by a beautiful woman.

Elizabeth found Jane, surprisingly alone. Jane had barely realized the time too, and went to find Elizabeth. They left Lumos, descended the four flights of stairs and walked ten minutes back to their apartment, each quiet, lost in her own thoughts, but both smiling happily. They could hear the waves in the distance.

Elizabeth looked up at the black sky and imagined herself walking with William on the beach, getting their feet wet as they went along. She imagined his rich, deep voice saying her name and she sighed. As they reached the street where their apprentice shops were, Jane came crashing back to earth.

"Oh Elizabeth, thank you so much for going with me tonight. It was so wonderful, and I know how big of a sacrifice it was for you on a work night."

"It's fine Jane. I did enjoy myself too you know. So what about this blonde guy? Were you with him most of the night?"

Jane responded a little embarrassed, "Actually, I was exclusively in his company. When were weren't dancing together, we were sitting at one of the side tables talking. He was so polite, with such good manners."

"Good. I'm glad he was deserving of your attentions, Elizabeth teased, borrowing her favorite British accent. "Are you going to see him again?"

"He's actually supposed to take me grocery shopping on Saturday."

"Ooh, how romantic." Lizzy replied sarcastically.

"Well he wanted to see me tomorrow, but I have to work. Then I had plans with Agnes tomorrow night. So his choices were to wait until Saturday night to see me, or he could take me shopping and see me sooner." Jane said with a mischievous smile. "Besides, he's got a car! Can you imagine how well we can stock up knowing we don't have to tote it into a bus or make it work on the scooter?"

"Well, he must be pretty patient man since he is willing to go shopping with you just to see you a few hours sooner."

"New subject, please. I saw you dancing with a good many gentlemen tonight," Jane commented.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied slowly, "I had a nice time. No grabbers," she paused for a moment as they climbed the stairs to the apartment. "Actually, I spent some time with one of them in particular. He was really nice."

"Really nice?" Jane questioned suspiciously as they entered the apartment, "That is big news. How long has it been since you have considered any man more that just tolerable?"

"I said really nice, Jane. Mmm," she went on dreamily as she changed into her nightie, "Very nice shoulders too. Maybe we can go again sometime." Jane answered her with a knowing smirk.

Lizzy looked at their alarm clock and groaned. "It's almost one o'clock," she exclaimed. "Hooray, I can get a whole two and half hours of sleep." Jane didn't miss her sarcasm.

Elizabeth fell into her bed as she said that and was almost instantly asleep. Jane set their alarm for 3:30, and then went to her bed to think about and then dream about a Mr. Charles Bingley.

Chapter 4

Posted on Saturday, 27 July

"Elizabeth, the dough will never rise properly if you don't knead it well," Francois admonished. Lizzy started out of her reverie and looked down at her dough, that she was more, gently massaging, not kneading. She started to vigorously work the dough, mindful that she only had to work another couple of hours before she could go home and get some more sleep.

What was she thinking last night? Two and half hours of sleep to work for eight plus hours on her feet. She had berated herself for her lack of judgment all morning, convincing herself that dropping an entire tray of formed dough as she was putting it into the oven or forgetting how much sugar she had added to the dough was due strictly to her lack of sleep. And realistically, 95% of her absentmindedness and inability to concentrate was just that, extreme fatigue. But she had to admit to herself that when her eyes started to glaze over, she had the most pleasant image in her mind of her last dancing partner from last night.

Mmm, she thought as she worked her hands through the dough, William Darcy. He could have walked out of one of my fantasies. I could have looked into his eyes forever.

She thought of the strange fluttering she had in her stomach when he had put his hand on the small of her back. Just thinking of that gave her a queer sensation in her wrists, making her want to shake them out. And his shoulders, Ooh yummy.

"What is yummy?" Francois demanded giving her dough a look of disapproval. She merely had her hands in the dough now, not working it at all.

"Oh, uh. This bread, won't it be yummy when it's done," Elizabeth said trying to cover her embarrassment as her cheeks got hot.

Francois didn't miss her heightened color, "It seems that our lovely apprentice has found a lover. Yes? That is why you did not come to the party?"

Lizzy started to cough and turned even more red, "No," she started laughing, "Hardly. Not a lover. Just a pleasant evening, with some interesting company."

Francois looked disappointed, "This is the country of love. You should enjoy the pleasures that are offered while you are here." Lizzy didn't like the way he was looking at her hips.

"I don't think that is an option at the moment. I only met him last night. I have no idea where he is staying or really even who he is. So I will have to be content to daydream." She felt a piece of dough hit her on the head, "Hey." she complained.

"You may daydream after work. Now, leave when you have finished with that batch. You are of no use to me today," Francois said and muttered under his breath, "Americans, they have no idea how to enjoy love."

Lizzy heard him, glared at his back, and wondered exactly how many people Francois had loved in the last year. Heaven knew he had tried his best with both Lizzy and Jane. He was so disgusting, a little fat, a little hygiene-deficient as Jane put it, and unfortunately with an excess of hair everywhere but his head. Maybe I should have lied to him and made William out to be something more, she wondered.

Knowing she just had to finish the batch of bread she was working on motivated her to start concentrating and within twenty minutes, she had finished it off. She washed the dough and flour off of her hands and arms, hung up her apron and left the store, with a baguette for lunch.

On her way home, she stopped in at Jane's patisserie. Jane was waiting on customers, looking a little better rested than Lizzy, but not much. When there was a lull in customers, Lizzy told Jane she had gotten off early and was going home to sleep.

She walked the block to their apartment, climbed the stairs to the flat, and fumbled with her keys to get the door open. Even the simplest tasks are so frustrating when you are so tired, she thought.

Finally she got into the apartment. She kicked her shoes off, put the baguette onto their table and made a bee-line for her bed. She was asleep even before her head hit the pillows.

It was after four when she finally awoke to the smell of Jane's delicious chicken noodle soup. She stretched in her bed, lingering there for a little.

Jane had heard her stirring, "Wake up sleepy-head. I was beginning to think you might not wake up until you had to get up for work tomorrow."

Lizzy turned on her side, propping her head up with her hand to face the kitchen, "Mmm. Jane that smells so good. You shouldn't have. You must be really tired too."

"Not too bad. I had the later shift, so I didn't need to get up until 7:30," Jane said dishing up two bowls of her soup and throwing Lizzy a big kitchen towel that she spread out on the floor between their beds. Lizzy fetched the baguette from the table, some cheese from the fridge and met Jane on their floor picnic.

Neither of them talked for a few minutes as they started to eat up the soup; they were both famished. "So how was work?" Jane asked.

"Oh, just awful," and Lizzy began to recount all of the blunders she had made at work that morning, including dropping the bread that was about to go into the oven and Francois reaction.

"Ooh, well at least he didn't try to make you go out with him to make up for it!" Jane said giggling.

"Thank heavens!" Lizzy exclaimed taking a big bite of baguette and roquefort. "Yum. The stinkier the cheese, the better it tastes. Too bad for Francois, the same doesn't hold true for men, the stinkier the man, the better he is?"

Jane chuckled and nodded taking a bite out of her own piece. "Any plans for tonight? Or just recovery?"

"Mmm. I think I will go running and take a bubble bath, extra bubbles."

"You're so tired. How can you contemplate running?"

"Because, I just ate five thigh-pounds worth of stinky cheese," she said licking her fingers happily. "What are you going to do?"

"I 'm going to the movies with Agnes, remember? I'd invite you, but the film doesn't start until after 9, and I don't think that you want to be out so late again."

"Definitely not. I plan on being unconscious by 8:30."

They finished their meal and Jane took the dishes to the kitchen, while Lizzy took their kitchen towel to their balcony and shook out the crumbs onto the cars below. She put the towel away and wrapped up the remaining baguette, and went to their dressing room to retrieve her running clothes.

Chapter 5

She said goodbye to Jane, who was reading on her bed when Lizzy left. Lizzy walked down the block, through the garden near the police station, and crossed the main street that separated her apartment from the fashionable stores and beach. All of the stores were empty. Several of the smaller cafes had signs out saying they were closed until April.

It was starting to really feel like Autumn. She had felt a chill in the air earlier and had worn a grey sweatshirt.

When she descended the stairs, she hopped onto the sand and stretched out, slowly, using the opportunity to look for William. When she couldn't see him, she felt a little disappointed.

It was just as well though; she was looking forward to this run. And she couldn't really expect him to hang out at the beach all day for her after all. She took off up the beach, soon passing the Grand Hotel.

She was in her own world when she ran. She could hear the rhythm of the crashing waves and her feet hitting the sand. The wind was blowing just enough to mist the waves onto her face. She concentrated on her breathing and cleared her mind of everything but her rhythm.

She was being watched again. William was standing on the balcony to his villa that backed up to the beach. He had been staring out to sea, not really thinking about anything. Just resting his eyes from the reading he had done earlier that day, breathing in deeply, feeling invigorated by the salty, crisp air.

He glanced down the beach toward the boardwalk and noticed a solitary person running on the sand. At that distance, he couldn't tell much about this person, but from their slight build, he guessed it to be a woman. As she approached, he rubbed his eyes. Yes. It was Elizabeth. She looked so graceful, purposeful, and strong.

She passed under his balcony continuing on toward the northern rocks that the lighthouse was on. He thought about calling out to her, but at that moment, Charles stepped out onto the balcony. "What do you want to do for dinner tonight, William?"

"Hmmm. Charles? What was that?"

Charles could hear the distraction in William's voice and followed his gaze to the running figure on the beach. He snickered at William, "She is very striking, isn't she."

"Yes." William replied, not letting his eyes stray from her figure.

Charles shook his head and smiled at his friend.

"I met her last night, Charles. Actually I saw her twice, but I met her once."

Charles snickered at his friend's incoherence and William came out of his reverie. "Want to try again?"

"I met her at Lumos," he said, unwilling to offer Charles more of an explanation.

"Oh, I had wondered why you were so quiet on the way home last night."

"I might have said the same for you, but I saw the lovely blonde you were with all night."

"Jane. She is amazing. We talked and danced and... well, I don't know when I have had such a nice time."

"Mmmhmm," William mumbled. He watched her figure get smaller in the distance as she ran on toward the lighthouse, and he finally continued, "So when are you going out with her again, Charles?"

"Tomorrow. I'm taking her shopping."

William laughed at his friend "You must really be eager to spend time with her."

"Yes, I am," Charles stated simply.

William saw that Elizabeth had turned around and was coming back towards the villa. He could see her cheeks were flushed becomingly from the exercise and the wind had blown her pony tail around so their were many strands escaping.

When she was near the balcony, he called out to her, surprising both her and Charles. She stumbled on the remnants of a child's sandcastle as she searched for the familiar voice's owner. He waved to her and that caught her eye.

She jogged over to their balcony and smiled up at them. "Hang on a sec," William said, disappearing from the balcony.

In a minute, he emerged from a path on the side of the villa carrying a glass of water. Charles followed behind.

"I thought you might be thirsty," William said, holding out the glass. She took it and drank from it gratefully, avoiding eye contact with William. She could feel his eyes on her body.

"Thanks," Elizabeth handing the glass back and shifting on her feet, feeling a little shy. He had taken her completely off guard.

William remembered Charles standing there and introduced them, "Elizabeth, this is my friend Charles Bingley. Charles this is Elizabeth Bennet," Elizabeth looked at Charles for the first time and recognized him as Jane's admirer from the night before.

And before she could speak Charles exclaimed, "Bennet? Are you a relation to Jane?"

"Yes, she's my sister," she paused and continued in a teasing tone, "I hope you enjoyed her company last night?"

"Wonderful girl. I don't know when I have enjoyed an evening more." She liked Charles immediately, his eyes had a look of good humor in them. "Is your sister, um?" He asked looking around.

"Jane was at home reading when I left. I believe she has plans tonight," seeing the disappointment on his face she added, "She's going with our friend Agnes, from Jane's shop."

Charles smiled, relieved, "I hope she is well today."

"I believe she was a little tired, but on the whole, quite happy," Elizabeth paused thoughtfully, "You know, Charles, Jane shouldn't be leaving for a little while yet. You could walk with me back to my place."

Charles looked hesitant. "I wouldn't want to intrude, but I would like..."

Elizabeth interrupted, arching an eyebrow, "Oh, well, it wouldn't be very friendly of me to run into you on the beach and not offer you some refreshment on your way home."

"Well, yes, but William and I live here, ugh!" Charles cried as William elbowed him in the stomach.

"Elizabeth is trying to be generous with an offer of refreshment, Charles. I should say nothing else but Thanks, if I were you." William said pointedly.

Charles colored, understanding, "Oh. Thanks, I would be happy to walk you home."

Elizabeth looked at William shyly, "Would you like to come also, William? Maybe we can retrieve Jane and come back for a leisurely walk on the boardwalk?"

"I'd be happy to join you," William said, not taking his eyes off of hers. "We'll be right back." Charles and William disappeared back up the path to get shoes and lock up.

She thought of how William was even more handsome when he smiled. Then Elizabeth began to feel a little self-conscious when they disappeared. She knew she didn't look her best, and she was pretty certain, she didn't smell that nice either. So she did what any self-respecting girl would do, she took off her shoes and left her sweatshirt on the sand and ran into the ocean. Her last thought as she moved deep enough for the waves to soak her was that she was grateful to be wearing black running clothes.

Charles and William descended to a very drenched and delighted Elizabeth. When she saw them looking at her in wonder, she explained with as much dignity as she could muster, "I was too hot. So I thought that I would take a quick swim."

The men just laughed and she laughed with them wading back out of the water. She looked at how far away the main stairs they were and thought better of it, "Would one of you mind carrying my shoes and sweatshirt while we walk. I think that I will stay in the surf as we go along."

To her surprise, William sat on the sand and removed his own shoes, giving them and Elizabeth's to Charles and then joined her in water that came just below his knees.

She was staring at this man who at once seemed so playful and, something else she couldn't quite put her finger one. Not reserved, but dignified. And here he was joining her in the surf. He saw her look of wonder and chuckled and moved closer to her, "Elizabeth, you're not the only one who enjoys playing in the sea." As he said that he poked her nose lightly and smiled.

She flashed a happy smile, "Well, then I'm extra glad to know you. We had better get moving. I wouldn't want to miss Jane." She gave Charles a knowing look.

They all started walking, no one speaking right away. The sun was hanging low in the sky and the wind was picking up a bit. Elizabeth shivered suddenly.

"Are you cold," William asked concerned.

"A little. I'm afraid the warm weather is almost gone for this year, and now the ocean is becoming cooler too. But I'm fine really."

"That's the only problem with coming down here for vacation at this time of year. I usually only have about the first week to swim, after that the water's really too cold."

Charles was listening and watching William talk to this girl with interest. He had never seen William so awkward with a woman before. Their conversation seemed a little halting as though they both were unsure of themselves. He listened as William and Elizabeth talked on about the weather and when it would turn colder and rainier until he couldn't help himself and he laughed out loud.

Both Elizabeth and William looked at him quizzically. "Something entertaining you Charles?" William asked with a warning in his voice.

Charles didn't heed the warning, "I would love to be a fly on the wall for your first date!" And he laughed even harder. William grabbed some seaweed, throwing it in Charles' direction. Charles easily dodged it and went on, "Could you talk about anything more interesting?"

William and Elizabeth both looked away from each other, very embarassed. William caught Charles' eye and gave him a look that promised payback, and Charles remembering where they were going and who they were going to see, thought it wise to be quiet for a while.

They walked on in silence, Elizabeth and William trying to steal glances at each other. Soon they reached the part of the beach where the boardwalk and stairs met. William offered Elizabeth his hand as she waded out of the water. She took it, looking at him sideways. They each experienced a warm sensation at each other's touch.

Elizabeth hopped on one foot and then the other to get her shoes on. William chuckled at her dance and sat down to put his on. All Charles could think was that they were taking forever to accomplish the task and couldn't they please hurry up.

They climbed the stairs at a fairly brisk pace. When they reached the main street and Elizabeth started to cross, William thought to ask, "How far do you live from here?"

She looked back at them and slowed down for them to catch up. She was now quite cold and wanted to get home as quickly as possible, "Uh, just up this street and down the first block. Just a couple of minutes. Do you mind if we hurry a little though. I think that when we get there, I will have to ask Jane to entertain you for a few minutes while I shower." She shivered again.

William pulled her sweatshirt out of Charles hands and wrapped it around Elizabeth's shoulders. Elizabeth gave him a grateful look and the three of them picked up the pace. They slowed down as they turned onto her street.

"Jane and I booked this place before we got here. It is a fabulous location, but a bit small." She was a little embarrassed to be taking them there, knowing they lived in one of the villas on the beach.

William and Charles just nodded. When they arrived at her building, William looked up and noticed a balcony on the third floor that had a lot of plants and flowers growing on it. "Is that one yours?" He asked pointing to that balcony.

She followed his gesture, "Uh, yes. How did you guess?"

"It just seems to fit you," he said a little embarrassed. He really had no idea why he would think that.

She opened the lobby door and started to go through, when she thought better of it and stopped suddenly, causing Charles to run into her and William to run into him. "Ooh. Sorry," Elizabeth said. Charles and William backed up a little as she reached around to the intercom and buzzed Jane. "Just making sure she isn't in the shower or something. We usually don't have visitors," she said a little sheepishly.

Jane answered the intercom, "Yes?"

"Hey it's me. I have a couple of people with me. Are you decent?"

"Yeah. Is it Agnes? Hi."

"Nope, but open the door for us. You will need to entertain while I jump in the shower."

"OK."

They climbed the stairs, and Elizabeth led them to the open door at the end of the hall. She ushered them into the main room and closed the door. Jane started to talk to them from the kitchen, "Just making some hot chocolate. Anyone want some?"

"Oh, you're an angel. I am freezing. I'll have some when I get out of the shower. Maybe you can serve our guests?"

Elizabeth grabbed some clothes from their dressing room and disappeared into the bathroom quickly. William and Charles were a little uncertain of what to do since Lizzy hadn't told Jane who was there. They looked around for a place to sit, but saw the beds as the most likely choice and decided they should probably stand.

When Jane heard the shower turn on, she poked her head around the corner, half expecting to see Agnes or someone else from work (not Francois). She dropped the spoon from her hand when she saw Charles.

William smirked as Charles and Jane banged heads both trying to pick up Jane's fallen spoon. "Uh, hi Jane. I hope you don't mind my coming by," Charles said, rubbing his forehead and handing her the spoon.

Jane smiled nervously, unconsciously smoothing her hair back, "No, not at all. How did you come upon Elizabeth?"

Charles explained meeting her on the beach when he heard William clear his throat. Jane hadn't looked at anything or anyone since locking her eyes on Charles and was somewhat surprised to see this other man in her apartment. Charles introduced them. Jane was not paying close attention to the introduction and asked, "So how do you know Elizabeth, William?"

William frowned a little; he had been hoping that Jane would have heard about him from Elizabeth. "We met last night at Lumos."

Jane looked at William properly now, "Oh, you're that William. Elizabeth told me about you." At that moment Lizzy came out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt, drying her hair with a towel and glared at Jane.

"So is that chocolate ready?" Lizzy asked a little impatiently.

Jane gasped and turned back to the kitchen, "Darn it. The milk has scalded. I'll need to start over." Charles offered to help her and went to the kitchen entrance.

Elizabeth turned to William and said with a sparkle in her eyes, flourishing her arm around the room, "Well. I believe that you have already had the grand tour."

He looked around the room, realizing for the first time that it was pretty much their whole apartment. "Don't you have a bedroom?" He questioned looking awkwardly at the beds, secretly wondering which was hers.

"Yeah... It would probably be OK for a couple, but Jane and I require our own beds." She gestured toward their dressing room. "The place is adequate for our needs, at least right now. We'll see when the rainy season sets in and we are confined here more." She put the towel she used on her hair out to dry over the balcony rail.

They settled into an awkward silence again. Lizzy looked around for something to talk about. She saw William shift his weight and realized that he had been standing in her apartment for almost 15 minutes.

"Would you like to sit down?" William looked at her gratefully, then she saw his eyes cloud in confusion as he looked for a place to sit. Realizing that she shouldn't have him sit on her bed, she plopped onto the floor and motioned for him to join her, "Sorry about the accommodations. Like I said, we aren't used to having people up. Maybe this is why?" She giggled nervously.

He smiled reassuringly and sat down next to her. He could smell her clean hair that was slightly scented of apple. He felt so nervous. He was trying to think of something intelligent to say when Jane and Charles brought the hot chocolate, some baguette and sat down with them.

"Ooh. Hooray. I'm starved." Lizzy squealed with delight, ripping off a piece of bread and dunking it in her chocolate. "Perfect dinner, Jane. Thanks."

The men just looked at her, amused. Jane and Lizzy laughed at the looks on their faces. "We had a big, late lunch." Lizzy said between bites. "So, you see, this is perfectly ideal, and delicious for dinner."

Jane added, "Yes. According to our dear Lizzy, 2 of the 3 main food groups are represented: the chocolate group and the bread group."

Lizzy continued, "And I had the 3rd food group for lunch: cheese!" They all laughed at her, and William thought her even more enchanting.

"Jane, I have to say this is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It's so different," Charles said.

"Oh that's because I use whole chocolate and melt it. It's one of the things I have learned at the shop. Actually, I marvel that Lizzy and I aren't each 300 pounds with all of the delicious things I have learned to make."

Jane turned the conversation to the day they had each passed. The guys hadn't done much--slept in until noon, went to a cafe for lunch and read for a while.

"What about you two?" Charles asked. He already knew Jane worked in a Patissiere. William looked at Lizzy, curious to know what she would say but Jane answered first, noting an uneventful day.

When she finished, Lizzy looked a little uncomfortable as everyone turned to look at her. She took another sip of chocolate and then took a deep breath, "Well, I work as an apprentice too, in the boulangerie next to Jane's," she paused looking at William, seeing him nod, she continued, "And I wish my day had been uneventful too, but I was basically asleep on my feet." She recounted all of her more entertaining mistakes to them, to which they all were entertained immensely.

They talked a little more easily for about a half an hour. Jane looked at the clock and realized she was supposed to meet Agnes at the theatre in 30 minutes and had just missed the last bus to Anglet.

"Don't worry, Jane. I'd be happy to give you a ride." Charles offered.

Jane looked hesitant and then brightened, "I'll accept your offer, if you would be willing to watch the movie with us."

"Are you sure Agnes wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, she's probably brought someone with her anyway. She usually does."

"Alright." Jane got up and went to finish getting ready. William and Elizabeth looked at each other.

"So, um, Elizabeth, are you doing anything tonight?"

"Well, I was just going to go to sleep after Jane left." She blushed. William looked at the clock, it was barely 8:30. "You see. I have to get up at 3:30 on work days."

"3:30, what on earth for?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, silly, it takes a long time to make the doughs, rise them and bake them before our first customers of the morning!" She covered her mouth to yawn.

"But you worked today right?" she nodded. "Oh, then you are probably too tired to do anything with me tonight." He asked his question as more of a statement.

"Well. I do need to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but maybe we could go back to the boardwalk and sit and talk for a little longer. If you promise to have me back no later than 10?"

He nodded happily and stood up. He offered her his hands to help her up. They cleaned up the cups and the four of them left the apartment together.

Jane and Charles left Lizzy and William at the main street to head to the villa and pick up Charles' car. William and Elizabeth went down the steps to the boardwalk. When they stepped onto the boardwalk Elizabeth exclaimed, "Oh how beautiful," looking at the sun as it was swallowed by the sea.

"Yes, very beautiful," William murmured looking at Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned to him and their eyes locked on each other. They stood their for what seemed a long time, when William noticed Elizabeth's teeth were beginning to chatter. "You're cold?"

"A little. The wind has really picked up, and I meant to bring a jacket."

William wanted to put his arm around her shoulders but thought it was too soon. So he offered her his arm and suggested they sit on a nearby bench, hoping that their proximity would warm her.

She took his arm and giggled a little at the old-fashioned gesture.

"What is so funny?"

"You're gallant gesture." They walked to the bench and sat down. He started to withdraw his arm, but she put her other hand over her first and said "I like it."

He left his arm in her hands and sighed. They both looked out at the ocean as the last rays of light finally disappears, leaving the ocean black and a little silver in the spots that reflected the small moon. They chatted a little while about their favorite spots along the Biarritz coast. William had to promise to take her to the remains of the WWII bunkers in the side of a cliff near the lighthouse, and Elizabeth had to promise to take William up to the top of her lighthouse. Their discussion trailed off into a companionable silence.

"I'm glad we met Elizabeth," William said softly, placing one of his hands on hers.

Elizabeth felt butterflies in her stomach again, "I am too."

"When can I see you again? I would like to take you out."

"I work tomorrow. I usually get off around 1 or 1:30. And then I have Sunday off." She offered hopefully.

He sat quietly thinking and started to trace circles on the top of her hand. "Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night then?"

"Yes," she said in a whisper, her eyes mesmerized by the movement of his hand on hers. He looked down at her, with a smile on his face.

She could feel him looking at her and looked up at him. Their faces were only inches away from each other. She could feel his warm breath on her face and was completely engulfed in his dark eyes. Her pulse quickened and she leaned toward him ever so slightly.

He noticed this and used all of his self-control to not kiss the lips he was staring at. They were full and rounded and looked so soft.

As Elizabeth realized they were about to kiss, she jumped up off of the bench, startling William. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. She had felt so comfortable until she thought about it. Then her usual fears surfaced. She looked away from him, sure that he would be upset with her, thinking she was a tease. Then she felt his hand lightly on her arm and she looked back at him.

"Are you OK? I'm sorry about that. I lost myself for a moment. I apologize. Should I walk you home?"

She nodded and he stood up and offered her his arm again, which she took, a little more hesitantly. As they walked he noticed that she kept giving him side-long glances as though trying to figure out something about him. When they reached her building, he pulled her back from the lobby door, "Elizabeth, please don't try to puzzle me out just yet. Just relax. I promise that I will not lose myself again. I want you to trust me, remember?"

Her thoughts drifted back to the night before. She looked into his eyes again, searching for, she wasn't sure what. And what she found was that he looked sincere, concerned, and eager. Eager to get to know her.

"OK, William. I will try to relax. And please don't feel awkward about before. It was as much my fault. I'm usually not quite so comfortable with people I have just met, so I think I scared myself more than anything. Thanks for tonight," She took his hand and squeezed it as she said the last part. And he didn't let her hand go.

"What time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

"Oh, um, anytime really. I will probably nap for a few hours after work and then go running. So anytime after 5 or 6 will be fine."

"OK. Do you usually run on the beach?"

"No, sometimes, I run down toward the harbor and on the road that follows the ocean towards Bidart. Or sometimes I go up the main Biarritz road that leads to the lighthouse, passed the Greek Orthodox Church. Why do you ask?"

William looked at the ground, a little bashful and asked, "I was wondering if you would mind some company tomorrow, on your run, I mean?"

"Oh, um. OK. Why don't you come round about 4 then?"

"Great," he looked relieved. He had only wanted to go running to be able to see her earlier. "If you get up from your nap and want to go sooner, just stop by the villa."

"OK." They both stood there for a minute, awkwardly. Elizabeth stifled a yawn.

"You should go in now."

"Yeah, I should. I had a nice time."

"Me too."

"OK, well, uh, good night." They walked to her lobby door.

He wanted to leave her with some lasting impression so he impulsively raised the hand he hand been holding and kissed the top of it softly. "Sweet dreams, Elizabeth." He released her hand as she slipped into her building.

He was still standing below on her street when he saw the light of her apartment turn on from her balcony and heard her open the balcony door. Sighing deeply, William slowly started home.

Lizzy changed into her flannel pajama bottoms and a tee-shirt quickly and turned out the lights. She was about to get into bed, when she decided to go to the balcony hoping for a last look at William. She saw him as he was about to turn the corner. She sighed contentedly and went to bed. She was definitely going to have sweet dreams tonight. She turned on her side and tucked the hand he had kissed to her cheek and fell asleep.

Chapter 6

Posted on Friday, 9 August 2002

Lizzy's morning at the boulangerie went considerably more smoothly than the day before. It was actually very pleasant since it was Francois' day off. She had prepared all of the breads for the morning and early afternoon rushes and made a delivery to the Grand Hotel.

Jane stopped by in the morning to finish a shopping list. Charles was coming meeting her shortly at the apartment to take her shopping. She went into the kitchen with Lizzy for a few minutes while Lizzy was forming some small loaves.

"So, how was the movie?" Lizzy asked not looking up from the dough. She heard Jane sigh but no reply.

"Oh, it was so nice. He is so.... just what he should be. I only felt badly when we met up with Agnes."

"Oh?"

"Charles' French isn't that good. I mean, you know, he can order, and buy things, but keeping up with a conversation with a lot of people talking was a bit of a challenge."

"Who all was there? I thought it was just going to be Agnes?"

"Well, practically everyone from my store, about 6 people. Even Marie came, and she was the worst for Charles. She flirted shamelessly with him, speaking a mile a minute in her Toulousian accent."

"No! What on earth did poor Charles do?"

"He tried to keep up with her, but I am afraid that he made a quite an impression on everyone. When she asked him to sit next to her in the film, he pointed at me and said something about pigs! I think he was trying to say something about cushions."

Lizzy let out a peel of laughter, "Oh, Jane that is too much!"

You haven't heard the worst of it, everyone made pig noises at me for the rest of the night!" Jane responded. "And the movie was bad," she paused thoughtfully, "but I had a nice time anyway."

Lizzy looked up brushing a curl off of her forehead with the back of her hand and scrutinized Jane's expression, "Really? A nice time? I think you are holding out on me by the look on your face."

Jane blushed, "Nothing happened. I just enjoyed sitting next to him. He would lean over occasionally and whisper in my ear. He has such a nice voice," she paused, "But then, those moments seemed to lose a little of their charm when someone else in the group noticed him whispering. Then I would hear pig noises again," she rolled her eyes.

Lizzy laughed heartily. "At least he was good-natured about it. Did you do anything afterward?"

"We went to his villa and talked for a while. William was there too. I really like him, Lizzy. I'm glad you want to get to know him."

Lizzy didn't say anything; she just worked a little more vigorously with her dough. Jane went on, "He mentioned that you are going out with him tonight."

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. Make sure you get a good nap this afternoon since you didn't get to bed 'til after 10." Jane teased.

"And just how could you know that?" Lizzy cried trying to sound vexed.

Jane was making her way to the front of the store, ignoring Lizzy's last comment, "Well I should go, so I don't miss Charles. If I don't see you beforehand, have a good time tonight."

"Mmm hmm. See ya." Lizzy called not looking up. Jane looked back at her a little concerned. It was clear to her that Lizzy was interested in William. It was also clear that Lizzy was completely uncomfortable with feeling that way.

Jane thought about her conversation with William and Charles the night before as she walked back to her apartment. William hadn't said that Lizzy has done anything per se. But it was clear that something had happened. She just hoped that Lizzy hadn't panicked. She sighed, unhappily, thinking of George. I wonder if Lizzy has gotten over him completely? She shook her head and hurried to her flat in time to meet Charles and took off with him to go shopping.

After Jane left, Lizzy was alone with her conflicting thoughts. She was so excited to go out with William she felt giddy, but she was also a little afraid. Because she knew she was attracted to him, and for so long she had tried to avoid anyone who elicited even a fraction of what she felt was building between her and William. The whole situation just seemed out of character for her. She had no details about who this guy was; she just wanted to go out with him because, well, he made her pulse race.

She shook her head and tried to concentrate on work. She looked around at the kitchen, finished the last batch of bread and began to clean up. By 1 o'clock, she went home. She had a small snack on their balcony, then fell asleep reading a book.

A few hours later she woke up to the sound of keys jingling awkwardly in the door. She opened the door for Jane and Charles. Jane and Charles each brought in several sacks, "Wow Jane, storing up for the winter?"

"No, just taking advantage of being able to shop with a proper car!"

"Yes, Jane didn't seem to be convinced when I offered her to take her shopping whenever she wants in the future. She, evidently, has a horror of riding with your groceries on your scooter," Charles laughed good-naturedly.

"You aren't kidding; she usually takes the bus. We can't fit much on the scooter. So my thanks for your tolerance of Jane's shopping spree, Charles. It was good of you to help her."

"It was my great pleasure, Elizabeth." Charles made that statement without taking his eyes off of Jane.

"Charles, can I get you something to drink? You've seen the groceries, so you know what we have to offer." Neither he nor Jane responded. Lizzy smirked at them and continued, "Jane why don't you drag the chairs out to the balcony. I will bring you two some refreshment and put the groceries away," Lizzy offered.

Jane and Charles agreed and Charles lifted both chairs and took them to the balcony. Elizabeth took them some grape juice and went back into the kitchen to put things away. When everything was settled, she went to their dressing room and changed into her running clothes.

When she came out, Jane and Charles were readying themselves to leave. "I'm on my way out, so you're welcome to stay," Lizzy said lacing her sneakers.

"Oh, actually we are going to Charles'. He picked up a few things at the store too and needs to get them home. Are you going running with William now? Why don't we give you a lift to the villa?" Charles offered.

"Um, well. OK. I don't usually ride to where I start exercising, but why not."

They all left the apartment together and took Charles' car to the villa. Lizzy was impressed. The car was a very nice black BMW with leather interior, and it started to dawn on her that these guys were not your run of the mill men. They had met them at Lumos (very ritzy), they rented a villa that backed to the beach, and they had a very nice car. She forced herself to stop thinking along those lines and think of which route she wanted to run today.

In a couple of minutes, they pulled onto the sidewalk in front of a gorgeous villa. Charles grabbed his bags and led the girls into the house. Lizzy caught sight of William on the couch. He was lying on his stomach asleep. Charles and Jane disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Lizzy to decide whether or not to wake William up.

Well, she thought, he did say he wanted to go and to stop by when I was ready. So she cleared her throat and let out a few "Ahem"s. But he didn't stir.

She carefully approached the couch, mindful to not run into one of his feet that was dangling off of the couch. "Uh, William," she said softly. No reaction. She tried again, louder, "William."

Still no reaction. She put her hand lightly on his back and said his name again. He moved slightly. "William, do you still want to go for a run?" She asked, gently nudging his shoulder. He reached around for the source of the poking at his shoulder and heard her saying his name.

He slowly opened his eyes and twisted around so he could see her. It was her, and he was so delighted that he grinned up at her, touching her face lightly. "This is a pleasant way to wake up."

She had been caught up in the sweet moment of his waking. But his touch on her face, made her feel on fire and she jumped back hitting the coffee table with her shin. "Ouch."

William sat up abruptly when she jumped back and kneeled down in front of her looking at her shin. "It's not bleeding, but it'll probably throb for a while," he spoke quietly. "Why don't you sit here," he gestured to the couch, "while I go change my clothes." He stood up and left the room.

Lizzy sat on the couch, shaking her head in irritation at herself. Ugh. Why am I so jumpy. It felt nice. She put her head in her hands and took some deep breaths. She realized she hadn't heard any noises from the kitchen and wondered what had happened to Jane and Charles. She heard laughter from outside and went out to the open balcony off of the living room.

She saw Jane and Charles playing on the beach, oblivious to everything else. She smiled to herself, "Jane is so happy."

"Yes. She seems to be, but so is Charles." She started at the sound of William's voice behind her and turned to face him.

"You have a great view from here."

"Yes. This is where I saw you from last night."

"Oh," she looked around shyly, "Are you ready?"

"Yep. Take mercy on me though. It's been a while." She smirked at him, thinking that the route she had chosen to take would not really qualify as merciful. She wanted to see what he was made of. So when they stepped out from the villa, she stood looking uphill toward the lighthouse with her brow furrowed.

"Can't decided whether to test me or not, hunh?" William teased.

"What, oh, um. I guess I have been caught," she exclaimed, giggling a little. "Well then, if my plot is out in the open, I guess I will have mercy on you." She turned in the opposite direction and started off downhill toward the shore road.

William kept up with her, but her pace was not conducive to conversation. When they reached the south pier past her favorite rocks, she turned around and they went back, keeping up a good pace despite going uphill. William was impressed at the shape that she was in; she didn't seem to be struggling at all.

William didn't try to start a conversation with her when they slowed the pace as they neared his house. She seemed to be lost in her own world and it afforded him the chance to observe her discreetly. She looked determined, concentrating on what, he wasn't sure.

When they arrived at his house, they walked around a little and stretched. "Sorry, I forgot to stretch when we started," Lizzy said looking at William like she had just noticed him there for the first time.

"No problem."

"I guess you probably think that going with me was a bit of a waste of time?"

"Not at all, why would you think so?"

"I'm not very companionable. Jane used to go with me, sometimes, but she says that I tune everything out."

William had just been stretching slowly, keeping his eyes down during this conversation. He didn't want to get caught watching her. Sure she was sweaty at the moment, but he could also see her muscles flexing and contracting as she stretched and it was starting to do things to him. He listened to her more intently and realized that she was a little uncomfortable.

"Well, Elizabeth. I hope we can go again, often."

"But it can't be any fun, since I don't really talk or pay attention,"

William interrupted her, moving closer and looking into her eyes, "Elizabeth, I find even your silence, companionable."

She wanted to look away feeling overcome by the underlying emotion in his words, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. She knew she should feel panicked, or that she usually would, but strangely, she started to relax.

He noticed her breathing more evenly and not wanting her to leave just yet asked, "Do you want to come in for a glass of water?"

She nodded her head and they went inside. Jane and Charles were in the kitchen where Jane appeared to be teaching Charles how to make a proper chocolate mousse.

"Hmmm," Lizzy looked over the bowl with a critical eye, "You seem to be folding the egg white in with a little too much enthusiasm."

Jane and Charles laughed as Jane said, "Yes, I was just trying to explain that to him."

William and Lizzy had their water and observed the baking lesson. When they finished their drinks, William looked at the time. "Almost 5. Are you hungry?"

Lizzy looked a little sheepish, "How American of me, but yes. I didn't have a proper lunch, so I am getting quite hungry."

"Great. Me too. Why don't we both get cleaned up, and head out to dinner. We'll find something that opens at 6. What time should I call round for you?"

"Um. I can be ready in half an hour, if you like. Or longer. As you wish."

William looked at her in disbelief, "I have a sister, and she couldn't possibly get ready to go out after running in only a half an hour. I think it takes her that long to shower."

"Well, I'm not your sister, and I could be ready in 20 minutes, shower complete if I needed to." William raised his eyebrows at her.

"OK then. I'll pick you up at 5:30." He said with a challenge in his voice and started walking her to the door. He paused and offered her a ride back.

"No, thanks. I can run there in less than 5 minutes. But, um. Where are we going tonight?"

William looked a little self-conscious, "I hadn't decided yet. Do you have a preference?"

"No, not at all. I just want to, uh, be dressed appropriately."

"Oh, well, let's try one of the restaurants on the beach at Anglet, does that sound all right?"

"Sure, I'll see you in 30 then." And she started home. Her thoughts engrossed in determining what to wear. By the time she got home she had decided on her red scoop neck and black skirt that showed off her legs admirably. Her last thought as she climbed the stairs to her flat was that she hoped the restaurant wouldn't serve exclusively seafood.

Chapter 7

William buzzed her apartment at 5:30 sharp. To prove her point that she could be ready on time, she didn't answer the buzzer, she just grabbed her purse and went out to meet him. When she opened the glass lobby door, she surprised him.

"Wow, less than 30 minutes, and you look stunning."

"Thanks," she said flashing him a smile. He led her out to the car and opened her door, holding her hand as she lowered herself into the car. As he walked to his side of the car, he thought of how her perfume lingered in the air and he breathed in deeply.

They took the shore road North toward Anglet, neither saying much.

"So how were Jane and Charles when you left them?"

"Oh, uh, fine. I think they were going to try to cook some kind of dinner to go with their chocolate mousse.'

"Mmm. Jane's an excellent cook."

"I bet you are not so bad yourself."

"Actually, I think Jane and I do best when we cook together, you know play to each other's strengths."

"You do it often? I mean, living together I would assume so," William wondered if he could have asked a stupider question.

"Um, sometimes. We don't do much together in the apartment, the kitchen's too small. But we try. You see we are starting to amass personal recipes for the future." She knew she was being vague but she wasn't sure she wanted to explain her dreams to him just yet.

Luckily for Lizzy, William had to make a last minute turn, so his attention was diverted. They drove another few minutes before arriving at the restaurants that lined the Anglet beach.

William parked the car and got out to open Lizzy's door. She was looking for her purse on the floor, so she didn't realize that was his intention. Needless to say, she was very surprised when he opened the door for her. But she liked it.

"You know, you have some very old-fashioned manners."

He frowned, "Oh. I'm sorry," he said lamely, thinking of many of the "liberal" women he had taken out who read him the riot act for such things.

Lizzy saw his dejected manner and reached her hand out to touch his arm, "You misunderstand. I like it. Thanks."

"Oh," he paused and turned to face the restaurants that lined the boardwalk, "So would you prefer seafood or Italian? I've been to the little Italian place before and it was excellent."

Elizabeth made a face, "Oh Italian sounds great. I don't really like seafood," she said a little sheepishly. "I mean, I know I live on the coast, and I even like snails, but I can't eat anything that has roamed in the ocean."

William laughed at her crinkled nose, offered her his arm and steered them toward the Italian place.

The restaurant had barely opened, so they were seated immediately at a table with a view of the ocean. They listened to the specials and ordered and then realized that they were all alone... with hours ahead of them. They both felt a little shy of a sudden.

William looked at Elizabeth, with a contemplating gaze. "What is it?" Lizzy questioned.

"You know. I have known you for 3 days. And I know nothing about you. But I feel like I do. I feel like I can talk to you for hours and hours, if I can just get started," he smiled self-consciously.

"I think I understand. So, getting started," Elizabeth paused for a second and started to panic that maybe they had nothing in common after all.

William saw her discomfort and his mind searched for a starting place, "Elizabeth, you started talking about needing to amass recipes. What for?"

"Oh, uh. Well, it's sort of embarrassing. I mean you must be a businessman of some sort. Um," she bit her lower lip and squirmed in her seat.

William watched her growing discomfort with the concern at first, then some amusement. "Elizabeth, just tell me. I already think that you are a beautiful and intelligent woman." He smiled at her encouragingly and put his hand over hers on top of the table.

Her face flushed and she took a drink of her water, "It's really not a big deal. It's just a dream that Jane and I have had forever, and when we used to talk about it to people, we would get made fun of. So we stopped sharing it with people."

William looked at her questioningly. She was taking another sip of water and it didn't seem like she was going to go on, "So, you're dream?"

She let out a beautiful laugh, twinkling with mirth, "Oh, right. It makes me so uncomfortable now, I think I subconsciously dodge it. Jane and I are going to open our own bakery/patisserie type of shop," she got a far away, thoughtful look in her eyes and continued, "We're not sure of the exact location yet. We know that the location will make or break the shop, regardless of the food that we serve. East coast for sure, but we are going to just keep our eyes open as we visit different towns over the next year or so. Somewhere touristy but tasteful."

"That sounds wonderful."

She looked at him, a little startled, "Yes. Well we've been saving up since we finished school. We think we could reasonably start up in a couple of years."

William could hear the longing in her voice, "It's nice to have a dream to anticipate though, isn't it? I confess, I admire you both for taking the matter into your own hands, so that you will eventually realize that dream," he gave the hand he was still holding a light squeeze.

She blushed becomingly, "Thank you."

"No really, I am constantly around people who claim that they can't possibly achieve their dreams. Because they're impossible or their families wouldn't approve. In truth, they are just too afraid to try."

"Their families don't approve? I can only imagine what type of scheme that would be." She said raising an eyebrow at him, teasingly.

He missed her meaning at first, then burst out laughing as their first course arrived. When the server left, he tried to clarify, "It's nothing as insidious as that," he winked, "It's that oftentimes they are expected to run the family business, and it's not what they're interested in or, well, some of my friends were a little spoiled growing up and so they don't care to work at anything." He looked a little embarrassed as he said the last part and cleared his throat.

Elizabeth felt that she had a small glimpse into his world, which seemed even more exclusive and grander than she had imagined. She tried to imagine what kind of world he really came from, and only envisioned sleek cars, mansions, luxurious women, and every toy imaginable. She thought about herself, Jane, and the rest of her family and cringed at the stark contrast.

She took a spoonful contemplating what he said. They ate quietly for a while, when she finally responded, "I think I understand a little," she smirked, "but I confess that my main understanding I think comes from silly books and films. I feel like a character out of one. But I would be the girl from the wrong side of the tracks."

William heard the wistfulness in her voice, "I hardly think that, Elizabeth. You seek knowledge, the improvement of your person, your mind. You're not afraid to work hard. For that much, I think that we are equals, Elizabeth."

"How can you say that I work hard, or the other stuff for that matter?"

He was surprised that she sounded a little defensive, "Well, I can't think of many people that I know who would have, and actively pursue a career that would ensure that you will have to get up at wee hours in the morning regularly. And when I was at your apartment yesterday, I noticed the stack of books next to your bed. You have a variety of interests."

"How do you know they are my books and not Jane's? I don't think that you know which is my bed."

There it was again, the delightful arch of her eyebrow, that he was learning could come to her expression when she was teasing as well as when she was angry, but for the life of him, he couldn't tell which she was right now.

"Jane doesn't seem to need to be reading up on bread baking or the fine art of growing different species of wheat."

She looked down, "Oh."

"Don't be embarrassed. I shouldn't have pried like that."

She gave him a small smile, "Not at all. I was just uncomfortable thinking that you had tried to figure out which bed was mine."

"Why would that matter?"

"It's just, uh, personal."

He laughed out again at that, "Elizabeth Bennett, you are the most unusual woman."

Mercifully the next course came at that moment. And they both excused themselves from conversation while they ate their delicious food.

William attempted more conversation with her on a safer subject, or so he thought, "So have you and Jane looked into the business side of setting everything up. I mean, there's more to it than just finding the capital to put forth."

Elizabeth was just finishing her last bite, and put her fork down slowly. He saw something in her eyes flash, he wasn't sure but he thought that it was amusement. Could she be laughing at him?

"I assure you, Mr. Darcy, Jane and I have thought through all aspects of our business venture. We have, between the two of us, been well-educated in business. And I expect that we will have no more difficulties than the next small business owners."

Now what, he thought, hearing the twinge of anger in her tone, "I didn't mean to sound condescending. It's just that well, you both seem to be of a creative turn of mind, and I thought, well. I have rather significant experience in business matters."

Elizabeth just looked at him, her eyes dark with anger. "You didn't mean to sound condescending? Twice?" She paused, and eyed him with a new, somewhat negative curiosity, "So what are you? Some kind of executive for a family firm that you didn't actually have to work into?"

His eyes flashed back dangerously and he snapped, "No, I guess I did inherit my position. But you set your sights too low for me, madam. I am the CEO of Lambton Industries and head of the board for the Pemberley foundation!"

Elizabeth's mouth opened, but she had lost her voice. While both companies he mentioned were based in England, she knew them both intimately. One of her last duties before going on her leave of absence from her firm was to file the papers in a multi-million dollar suit against Lambton industries. It was one of the largest textile companies in the world, and at least the small textile mills in the US had enough and wanted that monopoly pulled down, the portions of it that dominated the US market anyway. She was astonished and not unaware of the impropriety of a personal relationship with him. Why, oh why, hadn't she put two and two together?

He threw his napkin down on the tablecloth and ran his fingers through his hair, unwilling to look her in the face. She said nothing. Slowly, he turned his head and what he saw in her eyes astonished him. It was great fear and great remorse, and he instantly felt bad for having lost his temper with her so entirely. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I oughtn't to have raised my voice..." he trailed off as she leaped out of her chair running out of the restaurant. Her only thought was that she had to get away.

She kept running until her feet hit the sand. She took off her shoes and she walked the beach in the direction of Biarritz, calculating how long it would take to walk back to her apartment. Her mind turned to William and at that moment, she heard him call out to her, drawing nearer.

"Elizabeth, please stop. I'm sorry. Please."

She stopped in her tracks, knowing that she had to disclose who she was and that she should have known him. And she felt irritated with herself as she realized that there would be no further getting to know him, and that fact bothered her.

He approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders. The sun was setting and the wind off of the ocean swept her curly hair over his hands. He turned her to face him, slowly, and was surprised to see that her cheek was tear-stained. He wiped it gently with his hand and felt her body stiffen at his touch. He wondered why she had run away.

She was in turmoil. At once her body reacting to the feel of his hand on her face hotly, while also knowing she was about to make his anger in the restaurant seem like a defective fire cracker. Yes, she thought dully, here come the big fireworks.

She pulled his hand away from her face, but he stayed a firm grip on her hand. She was afraid of his reaction to who she represented and found the anger she had earlier had dissipated, "William. I have something to say. And I don't want you to worry about being a gentleman and taking me home afterwards. I'll count myself lucky, if you just swear and walk away."

He saw it again in her eyes, the fear and the remorse. He started to try and say something comforting, but she stopped him.

"Please let me say this. I apologize. I should have recognized you by your name alone when we first met. You must believe that I really didn't know who you were until tonight when you told me."

He looked at her confused. Every woman in England knew him by sight, but while his companies were well-known in the US, he as the figure head was not.

"You see, I am on a leave of absence from my real job, for this year. Jane and I both have quite, er, intense jobs that cause us to need to be at the forefront of what's going on in business," she trailed off, realizing that she was talking in circles.

"Oh, blast. Forget trying to be gentle, or I'll never get to my meaning. I work for the firm that is leading the suit against Lambton industries. I specialize in monopolies. William, I am an attorney, and I actually prepared the initial papers for the suit."

She had said all of that in such a rush that his head was spinning as he tried to keep up with her. As her facts registered in his mind, the hand holding hers grasped more tightly until she left out a whimper of pain.

He looked down at her and saw her eyes filled with tears looking down at her hand in his, which he was crushing. Abruptly, he let go. He turned and walked toward the water.

She took a long, last look at him and started slowly walking down the beach again, toward Biarritz. She felt heavy. She felt as though she had deceived him, even though she honestly hadn't made the connection of who she was.

Her feeling of betrayal was acute, and she marveled in how she could possibly feel so much about a mistake. Her thoughts turned painfully and abruptly to George. Betrayal. But that was intentional, premeditated, calculated... She willed her mind to stop, flinching as mental images flashed in her mind. She and George at the Halloween party where they met, their strolls, the skinny dip in the hot springs in the dead of winter, her watching him sleep in her bed.

She had stopped walking, hot tears streaming down her face. The hurt from the past welling up inside of her, making her guilt even more palpable now. Then she heard something amazing: the sound of footsteps near her on the sand. She felt him approaching her.

By now the sun was entirely gone and their light was provided solely by the moon and the few stars that could compete with its light. She shivered in the cool gusts coming from the ocean.

"I believe you," he said quietly.

She wasn't sure if she had heard him properly, he had spoken in such a low tone. She turned around and saw him standing near her, but closer to the breaking surf, staring out at the ocean. "You believe me?" she asked wiping away the tears that were cooling on her face.

He nodded. She wasn't sure what she should do next. "Thank you for that, William," she sighed heavily. "Thank you for everything the last few days. Goodbye."

She turned to walk away but was stopped at his touch on her arm. "Elizabeth. Um, you said you were on a leave of absence?"

"Yes, 'til next summer, the end of it really," she answered not understanding why he wanted to know. She just wanted him to let her go and not prolong their necessary parting.

But she couldn't help herself and moved closer to him, so she could see into his eyes. And she saw a pensive intensity in his eyes.

"William, what is it?"

"Do you do any work for them at all while you are here?"

"No."

"Nothing at all? Do you contact them, or do they contact you for anything?"

"No. Jane and I don't even have a phone."

He looked at her as though she had just announced that she was from Mars. She laughed a little, happy to feel some of the tension in the air go away, "It's too expensive and well, the only people who would want to call would be our sisters to beg a visit or our mother to ask about our men prospects. So we elected to write instead."

A smile slowly crept across William's face. And was as abruptly driven away by his pensive look again.

"William, what is it? Can I do something for you?"

"Yes. I want you to promise me not to have any correspondence or contact whatsoever with your firm on your leave. I know that I have no right to even ask that, but ..."

She began to be irritated again, feeling that it wasn't a request but more a command, until it occurred to her that he could be facilitating their being able to enjoy each other for the remainder of his holiday. And she wanted that, she realized, very much she wanted to get to know the man who could make her laugh, angry, and desirous within minutes of feeling each sensation.

"OK. I promise." It didn't feel strong enough or binding, so she impulsively stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, whispering in his ear, "There now, it is sealed with a kiss."

He was startled and pleased with her quick show of affection. And he felt relieved not to lose her company. He took her hand and they walked along the beach in silence.

They walked for a while, slowly slipping into comfortable, safer conversations. William looked up at the moon, commenting on its beauty to her and squeezed her hand. She wanted to diffuse the romance of the moment, afraid of their mutual attraction. So she poked William in the side, tickling him slightly. He jumped and tried to get retribution. She danced around before him for a moment and then tore off down the beach.

William took off after her expecting to catch her quickly, but she was quick. When he finally overtook her, he all but lifted her off of the ground as he reached for her waist in an effort to catch her.

Elizabeth was startled by the feeling of his hands on her small waist and the lurch her body made as it came to an abrupt halt. As she stopped, she felt her feet slipping out from under her on the sand and fell into William, resulting in their both falling onto the sand. They both laid there stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily at their chase and relief of the evening's earlier tension being gone entirely. It was in this moment, that Elizabeth realized that his strong body (warmed from the exertion of catching her) was in fact under hers. Her face not inches above his own.

William heard her laughing subside and opened his eyes hoping that she had not just realized that she had injured herself in their fall. He was met with the vision of her beautiful face just above his, some of her curls dangling down onto his face, in a somewhat tickling manner. For a second he forgot himself and reached one of his hands to put on the back of her neck and bring her lips down to eliminate the small space between her lips and his. But just as their lips were about to meet, she practically leaped off of him, jumping several feet away.

Startled, William tried to cover the awkwardness, "I apologize. I can only have your beauty in the moonlight as my excuse for my behavior." He said that quietly while looking toward the waves.

Elizabeth was puzzled and she blurted out "What behavior? It was I who lingered on your body and ..." She trailed off realizing that she had said that out loud. She took a few steps toward the waves, willing them to come and swallow her up. Her face was burning. And she felt very insecure.

When William heard her voice trail off, he realized that he hadn't been the only one to have felt the attraction. He got up and walked closer to her near where the waves were breaking.

"Elizabeth," He stopped. He didn't know what to say and since she was looking at the water and not at him, he decided to take the safe approach. Remember man, you've known her for three days.

"Excuse me. What was that?" She thought she heard him mumble something about 3 days.

William was embarrassed. What was it with this woman that caused him to titter and forget himself like a boy with his first crush. "I was just thinking, that I have only known you for three days."

"Oh." Elizabeth replied softly, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She felt as if she could just listen to him all night. But he had stopped talking. I must find some way to get him to keep speaking, she thought. So she said the next thing that popped into her head. "You were correct, you know. The moonlight tonight could make just about anyone forget who and where they are." Oh, gosh. What did I just say?

William was surprised by her statement, but took it as encouragement and grabbed for her hand, never taking his eyes off of the ocean in front of them.

"You know, I usually don't go out much when we come here. Or at home for that matter. But Charles made me promise. He finds it so easy to talk with strangers. And finds pleasure in making new acquaintances. He also likes big groups of people. Where I find that I am much more content to be in the presence of one or two good friends." With that statement, he squeezed Elizabeth's hand.

For Elizabeth's part, she was completely confused, but more at herself than this man. She felt his sincerity and was ready to trust him at his word. And she thought, "That is exactly what is wrong with this. When was the last time I trusted any man at his word. And certainly not after only three days acquaintance."

"If you wish it, then I will release your hand. But I would rather not. And I swear to you," pausing emphatically, he turned himself to her and she looked at him "that I can be trusted at my word. Let me have your hand for now and I will earn it as we get to know each other in the coming weeks."

Elizabeth had barely kept up with what he said after she realized that she had spoken her thoughts out loud yet again. She no longer trusted herself to have a private inner dialog. She looked into his eyes, leaning in to get a closer look.

William was startled to see her leaning in, and thought about kissing her again, but decided better of it and waited for.. he wasn't sure what. He could feel her penetrating gaze into his eyes. It made him slightly uncomfortable, as though she could see straight into his soul, or at the very least, his heart. Her expression changed slowly from one of tentative probing, to a relaxed, contented ease. And she gave him a small smile.

She shivered at a gust of wind that whipped around her and he motioned for her to sit down next to him. As they sat down, she took back her hand and William felt extremely disappointed. Then he felt her wriggle in the sand until her side was close to his. He could feel parts of her leg and arm and hip touching his. And it gave him a thrill, that mildly disconcerted him. And he realized that their position on the sand didn't lend to holding her hand comfortably anyway. He sighed contentedly.

Elizabeth was relieved to see him relax as she leaned into him a little. She was hoping that he wouldn't take her letting go his hand now that they were sitting as any kind of rejection.

At length, she spoke quietly "I also prefer the companionship of just a few people, and like our friend Charles, my sister suffers from lack of company."

Her understanding made him smile. He relaxed and leaned his elbows back in the sand to stare up at the stars and she leaned a little more against him.

"You know, I wouldn't trade the moon in tonight just for the pleasure of being able to see even more stars." William murmured, smelling her signature citrusy perfume.

"No. But aren't they so lovely in a scene like this?" she marveled staring at the sky.

"True, but no amount of their beauty could make up for missing the silver light of the moon make your face glow so becomingly." He hoped he hadn't gone too far. But he just couldn't stop himself.

She turned to look at him again and saw the same sincerity in his eyes. So instead of replying with words, she grabbed his arms, helping him into a more upright sitting position, stood up, lightly kicked apart his legs, moved herself around in front of him, and sat back down with her back to his chest and leaned back.

William was very surprised but completely delighted. He didn't move to put his arms around her. He just let her lean against him and he put his chin on her head, feeling her soft curls on his face.

She felt his warmth radiate into her and felt that just being in that position with him was a wonderfully, warm, hug.

They both closed their eyes and thought, "This is heavenly. I never want to leave."

Chapter 8

Posted On: Saturday, 7 September 2002, at 3:17 p.m.

Turning over in her bed for about the sixth time in 15 minutes, Lizzy rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to stop a groan, thinking: "Dumb body, It's Sunday. We don't work today, so let's sleep in. OK?"

She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to fall back to sleep, but to no avail. She turned onto her back and stretched her body until it shuddered lightly. She sighed and a small smile came to her lips.

She thought of William and how their evening ended, at least what she could recall anyway. She remembered sitting with her back to him, leaning against him and hearing at once the lulling rhythm of his breathing and the swelling waves. She remembered her face feeling stung from cold wind, but the rest of her being decidedly warm. And falling asleep.

Poor William, she thought giggling a little, he was so stiff from sitting in one position but didn't want to wake me. A barely audible laugh escaped her. She heard a grumpy "Hmph" from the other side of the room.

"Sorry Jane," Lizzy whispered.

"Oh, don't bother whispering now, Lizzy. I'm awake now. I might as well spare you of having to relive last night twice, you can tell me about it as you reminisce, with that silly grin on your face." Jane's tone was irritated, but Lizzy knew Jane liked to come to the world slowly in the mornings. "So, I take it that you had a nice evening?"

"Mmm. Hmm."

"Lizzy it's too early to play 20 questions. So out with it, then maybe I can still get some sleep. What time is it anyway?"

Lizzy looked at the clock to confirm what she already new and blurted out, "6:30" then dove under her covers waiting for the barrage of objects from Jane's side of the room. Lizzy counted each time her covers were pelted with an object. When she reached 6, she lifted her head out from underneath the covers, only to be hit in the head with a slipper.

"Ouch. Hey that's not fair."

"Yeah, well it's not as effective to throw things at you when you know exactly how much ammo I have!" Both girls collapsed into a fit of early morning giggles. "So really, what happened last night?"

Lizzy told Jane about her evening, from telling William about their dream store, to her upsetting discovery about who he was.

"Oh, Lizzy, you didn't know that? I thought you would have put that together right away. I recognized him the day I met him here."

Lizzy fell back into her bed with a loud sigh, "Oh Jane. I was such an idiot, then I ran away. And well. Let's just say, I wish I could blame my behavior on my hormones. Because I was a sight to behold last night."

"But you seem so happy this morning."

"Yeah. William's amazing. He didn't care. He just wanted to make sure that my leave of absence wasn't lip service. Anyway. We spent quiet time on the beach after that, and I fell asleep in his arms."

"Wow. That's huge for you, Lizzy. Well done."

Lizzy blushed, "It's hardly something that I should praised for, or censured for, for that matter."

"Lizzy, you know what I mean. You haven't let any guy near you since George. And you felt relaxed enough with William to fall asleep in his presence."

Lizzy frowned, "Yes, I suppose that I did."

Jane could hear Lizzy's uncertainty, "Now don't go getting all freaky after the fact. I think it was a good move. You have got to start somewhere."

"I know," Lizzy mumbled into the pillow she had just pulled over her head. "George."

Both she and Jane were quiet as his name seemed to reverberate in the room. Lizzy closed her eyes tight and tried to get a mental picture of him, his sneering smile, his dangerous eyes. But nothing came to her. Instead she felt lighter as William's image seemed to take form in her mind of its own volition.

"Lizzy, you all right?" Jane asked propping herself up on her arm.

"Yeah. I think so. It was a long time ago Jane. I like what I know of William. But let's talk about something else, like for example, how was your night?"

Jane was quiet for a while. Lizzy whispered, "Jane, are you still awake?"

"Yes."

"Thinking about Charles?"

"Yes."

"Did you kiss him?"

"Lizzy," Jane cried, "Of course not. I have only known him for a few days."

"He didn't try, hunh?"

"No." Jane laughed.

"Would you let him if he did?"

"Hmmm. Yes," she murmured, exhaling slowly.

"Good. I think he's nice. So what are you guys doing today?"

"Well. It depends on the weather. We might go for a drive into the wine country, stop off see some vineyards and chateau, or we might play on the beach. You two?"

"Mmmm. Actually we thought we might take a ride too. So since there is only one car, I guess we will all go together. Great idea, we can pack a picnic lunch and eat out in some field somewhere. How does that sound?" Lizzy said animatedly.

"Perfect, but something sounds even better right now," Jane's voice lacked Lizzy's enthusiasm.

"Yes, Jane?"

"Sleep!" Jane flopped onto her stomach and covered her head with her blanket. Lizzy laid there for a while longer thinking about William and what to make for their picnic. She got up and made dough so they could have homemade bread and then decided to go running. It was not even 7:30 and she was quite sure that Jane would still be asleep for a while.

At William and Charles villa, their recap of the evening had taken place the night before.

They were each stretched out on the two couches in the living room, William complaining about his aching body. Charles had been surprised at how late William had gotten back. And a small alarm started to go off in the back of his mind. He was not excited to see Jane's reaction to William mucking about with her sister.

They had been lying silently for a while when Charles enquired, "So how was it tonight?"

"Great, horrible, pretty good, then wonderful."

"What happened?" Charles had to bite back saying What did you do.

"Dinner was fine, and then, I can't even remember. She shared some personal stuff, that let's just say, I could have responded better to."

"What did you say?" Charles' tone was accusatory.

"Relax, Charles. It's not whatever you are thinking," William gave Charles a warning glance, "Has Jane talked to you about their dream shop?"

"Yes. I think it's great and they'll do well."

"So you know their, uh, credentials as it were?"

"I know that Jane is a CPA and Lizzy has a law degree.

"So, you didn't know who Lizzy was working for before they came here?"

"No, Jane never mentioned it. Why does it matter?"

"Nothing really except for the fact that she works for the firm that is suing us."

Charles looked at William perplexed, "What are you talking about?"

"The American suit against Lambton Industries. Really Charles, do you pay attention?"

Charles was getting a little bothered with William's tirade, but decided to take the high road, "So that was the horrible part of the evening. So what. They both have leaves of absence and from what I understand from Jane, they don't have much contact with anyone outside of Biarritz. So relax and enjoy yourself. Speaking of which, it seemed like you came back in a good mood."

William lay quiet for a little while, "She is so different from the usual girls I go out with."

"What girls you go out with? When is the last time you went on a date?"

"I guess it has been a couple of years."

"Yeah, and those girls shouldn't count. You great cad."

"Come on Charles," William said tiredly. He knew now where this conversation was going to go and wasn't really in the mood.

"Have you gotten it out of your system?" Charles asked quietly.

"Gotten what out?" William stalled.

"Well, uh" Charles coughed, "Sowing your wild oats, shall we say?"

"I think you are the only man I wouldn't belt for that, Charles," William said sternly. He sat up and looked at Charles, "You know that I have. And you better than anyone knows why I was such a cad. I think that I am almost willing to enter into a normal relationship with a woman."

Charles nodded, accepting the answer for now. He knew threatening William to be good to Elizabeth just for the sake of his budding relationship with Jane wouldn't hold water right now.
So he settled for reminding William that the Bennet girls were both nice girls.

"Jane and I are going for a drive in the countryside. Why don't you and Elizabeth come?"

"Actually, we had the same idea."

They agreed to make it a foursome, and Charles got up and excused himself to bed. William went to his bedroom and opened the windows. He undressed and laid on the bed, getting lost in his thoughts. Thoughts that were stirred up by Charles' reminder of the past.

After college, he had retreated into himself, mostly due to his parents' deaths. But he also felt that with his parents gone, the scampy upperclass women seemed to be throwing themselves at him with even more fervor. And he hated it. He tried being out right rude to them, disdainful, cold, distant and anything else that he thought would cause a person to leave him alone. But most of these ladies seemed unaffected. He even indulged in a couple of one-night stands. Just to acquire the reputation of a cad. He thought that maybe the women would be less likely to go to his bed if they knew it didn't even guarantee he would be there in the morning. That strategy had worked much better than any others; he had gotten rid of his casual admirers, but not the ones that irritated him the most, and quite frankly, frightened him most. The worst of whom was Caroline Bingley. At least he had realized that she was the desperate type; therefore, bypassing the idea of sleeping with her to get rid of her. He shuddered just at the thought of sleeping with Caroline.

It was such an awful existence. And it had been so effective that the reputation had remained with him although he hadn't indulged in any conquests in over 2 years. Now that he was a little older, he had occasional thoughts that his reputation might be a bad thing when he did want to find a woman to settle down with.

His eyes were getting very heavy and his last thoughts were of Elizabeth and her fine eyes.

Chapter 9

Elizabeth quietly left the apartment and headed for the beach at a brisk pace, trying to convince herself that she hadn't chosen that route because it was the most likely she would see William. She shivered as she turned the corner to the main street, where there were less obstacles to block the wind from hitting her full force.

The wind was strong, sharp, and cold. Elizabeth had on a sweat shirt but had worn her running shorts and as she descended the stairs to the beach her legs were stinging from the colder air that was moving in.

Deciding that she would feel better as soon as she started running, she stretched quickly and set off north on the beach toward the lighthouse. She ran most of her route when she noticed that the sky had darkened to a grey black, the clouds looks menacing, and the waves were cresting higher than normal. She started to debate on whether to go home when the downpour started. It was fierce and sudden. The wind was driving the rain around her, limiting her visibility. She was completely soaked in minutes and freezing in the driving rain. She thought about going home before realizing the smart thing would be to continue to William and Charles. It was only a little further up the beach.

The wind was really galing now and Elizabeth was staggering in the sand to keep her footing as she continued toward the area she thought the villa should be. She realized that the waves were reaching higher onto the beach, leaving her with less and less of a safe path. As she was looking to the ocean to determine how much beach she had left, she stumbled on the sand and fell awkwardly on her ankle with a small cry of pain.

She knew she had to get to the villa quickly, but as she tried to get back up, her ankle gave out under her, and she realized she might be in serious trouble. She tried not to panic as she felt herself becoming more cold, and wet, but her ankle was burning hot. Tears started to escape from her eyes as much from the pain as the fear and frustration of her situation. Why, she thought, didn't I pay more attention to the weather when I got up.

At that moment, she felt a hand on her head. Startled, she looked up and saw William looking down at her in concern.

"You're hurt?" He yelled to be heard over the wind.

"Yes, my ankle," she yelled back, more tears streaming down her face.

He kneeled down and gently picked her up and carried her toward the villa, which she hadn't realized she had been almost in front of. As he rounded the front of the villa, which sheltered them from some of the wind and rain, she noticed a heat warming the side of her body closest to him and let her head rest against his chest.

William was surprised at how light she was to carry, and he was very concerned by how cold and red she was. He had just gotten out of bed and went to look out the window of their living room to watch the storm when he noticed a figure stumbling out on the beach. It took some time for him to see through the driving rain that it was Elizabeth. It was then that she fell, and he ran out of the house to go and get her without thinking of shoes or a shirt.

He was carrying her into the villa now, tempted to call for Charles (who wasn't an early riser, and mornings were about the only time of day that you could actually see Charles in a bad mood). William decided to wait until he could see if she needed to go to the hospital.

He brought her into the couch and as he began to set her down, she protested, "I'll get the couch all wet."

"I don't care about the couch." He set her down gingerly and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch to put over her shivering form.

When he pulled away, Elizabeth felt a strange loss, of warmth and something else she couldn't define. She looked at him now wondering what had made her feel that way, when it finally registered in her mind that he was barechested. He was wearing only some flannel pajama bottoms that were wet from the rain. He seemed to be just as soaked as she, and she was more than a little fixated on his form. He was so muscular, so sculpted, well-tanned, in short, very desirable.

"Elizabeth, answer me." William said to her sharply, but with a very concerned look on his face. She hadn't responded to his questions and was now quite flushed and red, making him worry that she had been exposed too long in the cold and rain. Her eyes had a faraway look and it seemed like she was staring right through him.

She blushed hotly thinking he had discovered her ogling him. And replied weakly, "Sorry, what was the question?"

"Look in my eyes, Lizzy." William said, turning her chin to have her looking at him.

"William, I am fine, other than my ankle, and that I am cold, really." She was touched and a little alarmed by the amount of concern evident in his eyes.

"Let me look at your ankle, OK?" She nodded and he pulled the cover off of her legs. He didn't need to ask which was injured. It had swollen well beyond the normal size of her other ankle. He touched it softly and she shuddered. "I'm trying to be as gentle as I can, but we have to determine if you broke it. Did you hear anything snap when you went down?"

He was gently probing her ankle and foot, rotating it slightly, and she was trying not to concentrate on his strong, warm hands. Why didn't I notice that before, she wondered?

"Elizabeth, are you really with me?" He was staring at her eyes. Again she thought he had caught her and could read her thoughts.

She blushed again, "Um. No. I didn't hear anything. But I'm sure that I would have been able to with how loud the storm is."

"Well, I don't think it's broken. Just badly sprained. Let's wait out the storm a little before we take you to hospital. In the meantime, we need to keep it iced and elevated." He looked up at her face again, "Lizzy, your lips are blue and you're shivering, you need to get warmed up and fast."

Before she could question him or protest, he lifted her gently off of the couch and carried her toward the bedrooms. They entered a room that she surmised as being his and he laid her on the bed. At first, she had just been happy to be so close to him again, to feel his warmth and strength, then the reality of where they were hit her and she panicked.

"Um, William, really. I'm fine. Why don't you just drive me home and Jane can help me?" She almost pleaded, looking pale.

"No, Lizzy. The storm is too bad to be out in, even in a car. And how would you and Jane get to hospital later. Not to mention that you need to get warm now." He patted her cheek, like she was a small child and went to his bathroom and started filling the tub with hot water. "Sorry I don't have anything nice to put in the water." He called from the bathroom. "Oh, wait. I do have some bubble bath that Georgie forgot to take out of my travel bag."

Lizzy sighed loudly when he started the water, relieved that that was how he was going to get her warm. She giggled a little at where her thoughts had wandered in her panic. Of course, William's not going to hop into bed with me to get me warm. She laughed aloud at that, and he peered around the corner of the bathroom to make sure she really was all right. He was suddenly concerned she might already be developing a fever. But she seemed to just be cheerful and he thought to himself, rare is the woman I know who wouldn't be complaining loudly of her injuries. Not my Lizzy, he thought proudly.

When the bath was more than half full he came back to her and carried her to his bathroom, where they both realized she was a little overdressed for a bath. William took Lizzy's sweatshirt off of her. He stopped moving as he saw her wet white tee-shirt underneath, and he could make out her red sports bra underneath. He looked away quickly. Lizzy was almost as embarrassed.

William set her on the sink's countertop and reached behind the bathroom door for a towel. "Here, uh, you can use this. Um, I mean. Do you," he took a deep breath and finished hurriedly, "Do you think you can undress yourself and wrap this towel around you?"

She nodded and William continued, "OK. Then, call me when you've got the towel wrapped around you." William felt like he was escaping the bathroom, none too soon.

Lizzy did as she was told. She was pleased to see how big the towel was on her. It covered her very well. She called him back in. "OK. So now what? I know I can't get in on my own."

He took a deep breath and lifted her up, carried her to the tub and placed her in it, towel and all. He turned his back to her, "OK. Now if you'll give me the towel..." he trailed off.

Lizzy realized quickly that he had put too much bubble bath in, so he wouldn't be able to sneak a peek if he wanted to, so she unwrapped herself and made sure she was settled under the bubbles before telling him she was ready.

He turned back to her averting his eyes, and consequently not being able to find the towel in her hands. "It's OK, Will. The bubbles were a good idea." She giggled to herself at their strange situation.

He stole a quick look at her and relaxed. He took the towel from her and left the bathroom. In a few minutes, he returned with hot chocolate, two dry towels, and a bag of ice. "It's not Jane's chocolate, but it will warm your insides up. I brought you fresh, dry towels for when you get out. Are you feeling any warmer yet?"

"Yes. Much. Thank you so much, Will. I really don't know what to say." She said softly.

Will didn't want her being too serious in her current state, so he gave her a devilish grin and plunged a hand in down by her feet.

She screamed in surprise, "Will, what are you..." She stopped as she felt him lifting her injured foot gingerly out of the water. He placed a towel on the side of the tub to cushion her foot and wrapped the ice pack around her foot.

"Yow!" She cried as the cold from the ice mixed unpleasantly with the heat of her foot from her injury and path. "That doesn't feel good."

Will smiled, "I know, but your ankle needs to be iced, not heated! So you just be my good little patient, OK?"

"OK, but it is really unpleasant. If you want me to be good, you will have to keep my mind off of it. Is that a deal?"

William didn't answer. In fact, he left the room to a very surprised Lizzy, who wondered what she had done wrong. After a few minutes, he was back with a chair he put next to the tub. Much to Lizzy's disappointment, he had put a shirt on and changed into a pair of jeans.

"So, how should I distract you?"

Lizzy had several ideas pop into her mind, all of which would have involved his not having changed clothes, and as she pondered them, her face went scarlet.

William saw this and thought she was in too much pain, so he called out for Charles, without thinking.

In a couple of minutes a very disheveled Charles wandered into William's room. "Wow," he yawned, "What a storm."

"In the bathroom, Charles."

As Lizzy realized she was about to have another male intrude on her bath, she squeaked and sank lower into the water.

If Charles had still been somewhat groggy when he entered William's bedroom. He was fully awake and a wash of emotions at seeing Lizzy in William's bath. "What the hell. William, damnit. I thought you were being serious last night."

Lizzy and William both looked at Charles, stunned by his outburst. Lizzy looked questioningly at William, feeling even more embarrassed as she started to realize what could only be Charles' conclusion to seeing her in William's bath.

"Charles, calm down. It's not what you think. I saw..."

But Charles interrupted William mid-sentence and spoke with a cold voice that Lizzy could never have imagined Charles possessing, "William, I am disgusted. You are ..."

William interrupted this time, "I suggest you let Lizzy tell you how she came to be here since you won't listen to me, and I am afraid that you are dangerously close to saying something that you will regret later."

Charles bit back a retort and turned his disapproving gaze onto Lizzy, "Well? From the little Jane has told me about you, I can only imagine what you will have to invent to save William's skin."

"Charles, relax. You're wrong totally. I went running this morning, not paying attention to the weather. It was not great when I started out, but you know how quickly the weather can change down here. Soon it was the full storm, and I twisted my ankle. At least William thinks that it is twisted."

"You have too much range of motion, I think, for it to be broken," William said quietly, looking at Lizzy, marveling at her poise in such an awkward situation.

"That's it, really?" Charles asked more quietly.

"Yes," Lizzy and William both answered him back, with a little exasperation in their voices.

All three were quiet for a time. The water was cooling rapidly and to Lizzy's horror, she noticed the bubbles were beginning to thin to a dangerous level. She cleared her throat, "Well, now that we are all friends again. I wonder if I could trouble you to leave me while I get out?"

Both men looked at her directly. William felt hotter as he could make out the curves of her bare shoulders and used all his self-control to keep himself from allowing his eyes to stray any lower. Charles shot one warning look at William and left the room.

William started to leave, but Lizzy called out to him, "Uh. Will, I uh, the way this tub is. I'm afraid that I need assistance in getting out." She blushed fiercely and couldn't meet his eye.

William raked his fingers through his hair, resisting every natural impulse in him and tried to think of a way out of the tub not involving him touching her.

He told her to wait a second and he left the room. By the time the bubbles were really very thin and Lizzy wasn't sure she could even feel good about letting him back in. But the water was getting quite chilly and her ankle was protesting about its perch on the end of the tub.

William returned quickly but stayed at the doorway. He threw her a wet towel. "I warmed that towel under hot water. Just wrap it round yourself again, and I'll get you out like I got you in."

"Thanks." In short order Lizzy was wrapped in the towel, if somewhat awkwardly. "Ready," she called more confidently than she felt.

William approached the tub and lifted her gently out of the water. Water rushed off of her, nearly taking the towel with it. He deposited her on the sink counter again, and left the bathroom.

She heard him rummaging about in the other room. He came back and threw her a soft robe and said, "Let me know when you are dried and dressed. I'll come in and carry you to the living room."

Within 15 minutes she was dry, warm, and happily being attended to by both William and Charles, who were making her breakfast.

The three sat easily eating their breakfast. Lizzy noticed a small lull in the storm and realized that Jane would be up by then and likely concerned at Lizzy's whereabouts. They agreed that the storm had subsided enough for Charles to go and get Jane, clothes for Lizzy, and bring back a list of other things Lizzy wanted.

After Charles left, William retrieved a couple of pillows from his room and an additional blanket. He positioned himself on one end of the longer couch and a pillow where he thought it would be most comfortable to her to lean up against him. She felt herself being pulled to him and put her head in his lap. They hadn't said much and now he was looking down at her face tracing her jaw line and forehead with his finger. He started running his fingers gently through her wet hair.

They both wanted to ask each other more about what Charles had said about the other, but they were both a little afraid of what their responses might be instead. They both relaxed and enjoyed the moment, and within a few minutes, they were both asleep, each with their own small smile on their lips.

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